Palestinian Elections

Mustafa Barghuti (Middle East Online photo)

Hamas'' Zahar: More kidnappings if Israel doesn''t release prisoners
Ha''aretz 10/26/2005
Hamas will increase the number of kidnappings of Israelis if Israel does not release Palestinian prisoners, Gaza Strip Hamas leader, Dr. Mahmoud Zahar, told Haaretz this week. He added that the group will not extend its participation in a cease-fire among Palestinian organizations beyond the end of 2005 if the Palestinian Authority reneges on its promise to hold elections in January. Speaking at his home in Gaza, rebuilt after an Israeli Air Force targeted assassination attempt in October 2003 - in which his son and bodyguard were killed - Zahar granted his first comprehensive interview with Israeli media since last year''s targeted killing of Hamas leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz Rantisi.

Diplomacy..

EXPECTANT: Palestinians wait outside a polling station in the West Bank town of Jericho during Thursday's municipal elections. Hamas battled Fatah for voter support. MUHAMMED MUHEISEN/AP

Israel drops Hamas vote ban call
BBC 10/24/2005
Israel has pulled back from a policy opposing the participation of Hamas in January''s Palestinian elections. Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said it was not in Israel''s interest to oppose Hamas'' participation. In September, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that his government would hinder voting in the West Bank if Hamas candidates stood in the election. The largest and most popular militant group, Hamas has not previously contested parliamentary elections.

Analysis: Palestinian leaders pleased with Bush-Abbas talks
By Danny Rubinstein, Ha''aretz 10/21/2005
The Palestinian leadership was pleased with the results of Thursday''s meeting between Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President George W. Bush. The main reason for their satisfaction was Bush''s hint that Washington would not object to Hamas'' participation in the PA''s parliamentary elections. There are a number of burning issues on the PA''s agenda....[b]ut the elections are even more important, because they constitute a vital stage in Abbas''strategy to impose law and order in the PA and rehabilitate its government.

U.S. won''t oppose Hamas participation in the PA poll
Ha''aretz 10/21/2005
WASHINGTON - The United States will not actively oppose Hamas'' participation in the Palestinian Authority parliamentary elections, Palestinian officials said following U.S. President George Bush''s meeting with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday. Even before the White House meeting, American officials said that while Washington objects in principle to allowing an armed organization to run in the elections, the final decision rests with the PA....while Bush raised the issue of disarming Hamas prior to elections at Thursday''s meeting, he did not dwell on it or pressure Abbas,

Shalom opposes Hamas participation in elections
Middle East Online 10/19/2005
Israeli FM says it would be madness to let Hamas run in Palestinian legislative polls. -- JERUSALEM - Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom stressed Israel''s opposition Wednesday to the Islamist movement Hamas taking part in Palestinian legislative polls, saying it would be "madness" to allow their participation. The issue is set to feature prominently in Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas visit to the White House on Thursday, where US President George W. Bush is expected to demand that candidates in January''s elections renounce violence.

Abbas, Bush to discuss Hamas, rule of law
Ha''aretz 10/20/2005
WASHINGTON - Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is set to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush in the White House on Thursday to discuss issues including Hamas participation in PA elections, the continued building of Palestinian institutions, law and order in Palestinian territory and negotiations related to the economic development of the Gaza Strip. Abbas is slated to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice predawn Thursday (Israel time) ahead of his meeting with President Bush.

Annan: Israel must allow Hamas to run in PA elections
Ha''aretz 10/18/2005
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday met with the heads of the Geneva peace initiative, Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo, and told them that Israel should not oppose Hamas taking part in January''s Palestinian Authority general elections. Annan said, however, that it was important that no armed militia sit in the Palestinian parliament. He also said that the demand that Hamas disarm itself before the general elections would only strengthen the radical Islamic group on the account of other moderate movements.

Israel vows not to interfere in Palestinian elections
ReliefWeb 10/16/2005
JERUSALEM, Oct 16 (AFP) - Israel appeared to soften Sunday its opposition to Hamas''s participation in January''s Palestinian elections, as officials indicated they would not interfere in the ballot if the Islamist group stands. While maintaining their strong opposition “in principle” to Hamas''s participation, sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that did not mean in practice that they intend to intervene in the January 25 ballot.

PA: Israeli meddling in vote could boost Hamas
Ha''aretz 10/16/2005
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has asked Israel not to meddle in the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council, and not to attempt to prevent the participation of Hamas, lest this serve only to strengthen the organization. "Don''t interfere with our elections," Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat told Vice Premier Shimon Peres at a meeting on Friday. "Leave it to us. Any intervention of yours only strengthens Hamas. You believe you are weakening it, but the result is the opposite."

IDF to recommend freeing more Palestinian prisoners
Ha''aretz 10/12/2005
The Israel Defense Forces will advise the government to release additional Palestinian prisoners, in an effort to strengthen Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, a senior IDF officer told Haaretz yesterday. However, the officer added, the General Staff believes that such gestures should only be made when Abbas and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon meet, which will apparently happen next month. The IDF also supports the government''s campaign to bar Hamas from participating in the PA''s parliamentary elections unless it disarms...

Shalom: “We will not recognize the Pal. Elections if Hamas participates”
International Middle East Media Center 10/8/2005
Israeli Foreign Minister, Sylvan Shalom said that if Hamas participates in the upcoming Palestinian legislative elections Israel and the international community will not recognize the results of these elections. In an interview with the Israel Radio on Saturday morning, Shalom said that Israel informed the Palestinian Authority that “it will not allow Hamas to participate in the elections”. “If they do, Israel and the international community will not recognize these elections”, he added.

Abbas vows to bombard Sharon with demands in upcoming talks
Daily Star 10/7/2005
PA president reiterates calls on Palestinian movements to stop carrying arms in public and cease infighting in Gaza -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would bombard Ariel Sharon with demands at a forthcoming Middle East summit and reiterated calls on Palestinian movements to stop carrying weapons in public and internal fighting in the Gaza Strip. Egyptian mediators also warned Hamas that parliamentary elections set for January 25 could be postponed if the group does not abide by a truce, including a promise not to carry weapons in public.

Egypt may back shelving PA parliamentary poll
Ha''aretz 10/6/2005
Egypt is considering tendering a proposal to postpone the Palestinian parliamentary elections scheduled for January 2006 due to the weakened position of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. For now, Egyptian officials are conducting unofficial talks with PA officials and other regional players. The proposal is likely to be unveiled only after the next round of local elections, on December 7, involving important cities such as Gaza, Nablus and Hebron. If Hamas proves victorious, Egypt will try to postpone the January poll date.

Israel seeks support abroad for blocking Hamas in PA elections
Ha''aretz 10/3/2005
Israel plans in its talks with foreign states to stress its opposition to Hamas'' participation in the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council (parliament), slated for January 2006. Israel will also ask foreign officials to refrain from contacts with Hamas or its election candidates. In response to criticism of its intervention in the democratic process in the Palestinian Authority, Israel will emphasize its democratic right to defend itself, and will argue that ruling out a terror group''s participation in elections is "an essential, legitimate and acceptable" step.

U.S. To Broker Formula on Hamas Role in Palestinian Elections
Forward 9/30/2005
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration plans to work with the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority to hammer out a formula that will satisfy Jerusalem''s objection to the participation of Hamas in the P.A. elections set for January, according to American and Israeli sources in Washington. Asked whether such a formula could be worked out — which would also satisfy Palestinian calls for fair, inclusive elections — a senior Bush administration official told the Forward: "That''s the $64 million question." "We are working on that with the parties," the official said.

Human Rights..

On January 9, 2005 Palestinians living in the occupied territories will elect a president of the Palestinian Authority and new members of the Palestinian Legislative Council in the second general elections in nearly eight years. (Helga Tawil photo)

PCHR Criticizes Postponement of Local Council Elections
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 10/18/2005
In contradiction with a previous, official, decision to hold elections of Palestinian locations in stages (with all stages to be completed by the end of 2005), the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) decided to reschedule elements of the fourth stage. This means that the elections in a number of major local councils, such as that of Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Jabalya and Nussairat, move to a fifth phase which will not be held this year.

People..

Yossi Beillin and Yasser Abed Rabbo, leaders of the so-called Geneva Accord

International..

Arabs heed Obama’s call for change
Alaa Bayoumi, Al Jazeera 2/4/2008
If it were not for Barack Obama, many Arabs would not even bother to follow the results of the US presidential race on Super Tuesday. Such gloomy views could be attributed to Arabs’ negative attitudes toward governments and politics in general. Arabs have been living under authoritarian governments, many of them US allies, for decades. And the US’s traditional support for Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, coupled with the war on Iraq, has meant Arab mistrust of the US has dipped to new lows in recent years. Against this backdrop, it is easy to see why many Arabs will not be following the latest news from the US presidential primary elections. ’Offensive’ rhetoric Many do not see any serious differences between the Republican and Democratic candidates who are taking part in the race.

Ahmadinejad battles on the home front
Khody Akhavi, Asia Times 2/5/2008
WASHINGTON - Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has garnered headlines around the world for his defiance of Washington, as well as his rhetorical grandstanding on Palestinian issues, Israel and his government’s alleged support of Shi’ite militias in Iraq. Still, it appears that Iran’s parliamentary elections in March will be determined less by debates over the country’s foreign policy than by rising criticism of incompetence and economic mismanagement of conservatives and hardliners in the legislature and in Ahmadinejad’s office." Ahmadinejad is in trouble, not only because his economic policies have not worked; he has managed to antagonize almost the entire Iranian elite because of his exclusivist management style," said Farideh Farhi, an independent researcher on Iran and political scientist at the University of Hawaii.

IRAN: Ahmadinejad Caught Between Reformists and Hardliners
Khody Akhavi, Inter Press Service 1/28/2008
WASHINGTON, Jan 28(IPS) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has garnered headlines around the world for his defiance of Washington, as well as his rhetorical grandstanding on Palestinian issues, the existence of Israel, and his government’s alleged support of Shiite militias in Iraq. Still, it appears that Iran’s upcoming parliamentary elections in March will be determined less by debates over the country’s foreign policy than by rising criticism of incompetence and economic mismanagement of conservatives and hardliners in the legislature and in the office of the president. "Ahmadinejad is in trouble, not only because his economic policies have not worked; he has managed to antagonise almost the entire Iranian elite because of his exclusivist management style," said Farideh Farhi, an independent researcher on Iran and political scientist at the University of Hawaii.

Mideast press urges action on Gaza
BBC Online 6/14/2007
The Palestinian press makes an urgent appeal for action to prevent the violence in Gaza from turning into a full-blown civil war, urging President Abbas to call a state of emergency and ask for intervention from the region’s Arab states. Papers in the wider Middle East blame the violence on Palestinian leaders and demand fresh elections to resolve the power struggle between the Hamas and Fatah factions. In Israel, commentators ponder how the country should react to the Palestinian infighting, with one advocating a total withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers from the occupied territories. - Palestinian AL-QUDS -- It seems we have reached the point of no return in this infighting and are witnessing the beginnings of civil war.

Lebanon factions resume talks
AlJazeera 3/22/2006
Leaders of Lebanon''s rival factions have resumed talks on the fate of the country''s pro-Syrian president and a UN call for the disarmament of the Hizb Allah group. The talks come amid signs that an agreement remains elusive on the two issues that threaten to destabilise the country. The discussions, which began on 2 March, have focused on a 2004 UN Security Council resolution that calls for disarming Hizb Allah and Palestinian fighters. The resolution also urged new presidential elections. It was passed in September 2004, days before Lebanese legislators extended Emile Lahoud''s term for three years.

Chirac vows ''voice of reason'' on Iran
Daily Star 3/6/2006
French president labels cartoon row a ''clash of ignorance'' -- RIYADH: French President Jacques Chirac said Sunday the West would still reach out to Iran for a deal on its disputed nuclear file, in the first address to the Saudi consultative council by a foreign leader. The president''s wide-ranging speech in Riyadh also covered Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian elections, reform in the conservative monarchy and the "clash of civilizations" between the West and Islam. "In Iran, the voice of reason that France, the United Kingdom and Germany wanted to be heard on the nuclear file has not been heard, for the time being," Chirac told the appointed advisory council, an all-male body of 150 members.

Palestinian Americans Push Religious Pluralism in P.A.
Forward 2/17/2006
WASHINGTON — Palestinian American activists are vowing to lobby Hamas against turning the West Bank and Gaza into an Islamic theocracy. Anxious about the victory of the Islamic fundamentalist group in last month''s Palestinian parliamentary elections, Palestinian American leaders say that they will push for laws favoring American-style church-state separation, pluralism, equality and inclusiveness. "We are at the time when defining decisions may very well be made in Palestine," said Ziad Asali, president of the American Task Force on Palestine. The task force is a prominent pro-Palestinian advocacy group in Washington.

Disagreement With Gaza Disengagement Sours Orthodox on Bush
Forward 6/24/2005
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders this week, cracks were emerging in the coalition of Jewish conservatives that rallied this past November around the claim that President Bush was "the best friend Israel ever had in Washington." Many influential Republican loyalists and non-Orthodox hawks appear to be remaining firm in their support of Bush. But a growing number of Orthodox activists who were avidly courted by Bush in the 2004 election are feeling distinctly dismayed as the administration embraces Israel''s Gaza disengagement plan and presses for more aid to the Palestinians.

Elections give hope to Palestinian refugees
Daily Star 6/7/2005
BEIRUT: Palestinian refugees living in squalid and overcrowded camps dare to hope the legislative elections will directly improve their lives. "I have been monitoring the elections to see if they will bring change," said Mohammad al-Daoud, 21, outside Beirut''s Chatilla camp where portraits of candidates jostle those of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Some 400,000 Palestinian refugees live in 12 refugee compounds in South Lebanon, where conditions are often harsh and permanent citizenship is denied to all. Fouad Abed, 36, complained that the candidate he was rooting for lost in the first part of the four-stage elections that took place May 29.

El Salvador group opens park in honor of late Palestinian leader Arafat
Ha''aretz 5/25/2005
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador - A new plaza on Jerusalem Avenue was inaugurated Wednesday in honor of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, despite criticism from the Israeli Embassy in El Salvador. "We are making a monument to the maximum leader of the struggle for the liberation of Palestine," said one of the promoters, businessman John Nasser, as the square with a large bust of Arafat was inaugurated. Migrants from Palestine flowed to El Salvador for decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and several families became prominent in business and politics. Both President Tony Saca and his rival in last year''s election, Schafik Handal, are sons of families that migrated from the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

AIPAC Losing this Fight
Electronic Intifada 3/7/2005
Press Release, Council for the National Interest -- AIPAC has been taken aback by new Mideast resolutions. Last month the House and the Senate each passed their own resolutions expressing support for the Palestinian Authority in the wake of their successful presidential elections. The Washington Jewish Week reported that many on the Hill feel the Israel lobby was caught asleep on this one. The problem for the lobby was simple: popular support and optimism after the Palestinian presidential elections took the wind out of any possible grounds for raising opposition to the resolutions.

Arabs warmly welcome Abbas election
Middle East Online 1/10/2005
Analysts, officials hail election of Mahmud Abbas as Palestinian leader, pay tribute to strong voter turnout. -- Arabs gave a warm welcome Monday to the election of Mahmud Abbas as Palestinian leader, admiring a successful exercise in Arab democracy and hoping that a strong voter turnout will bolster his position. Analyst Nabil Abdel Fattah of Cairo''s Al Ahram Center of Strategic Studies said the high turnout and the strong result for Mahmud Abbas "gives him the necessary legitimacy for his plans to resolve the conflict" with Israel.

Press Review: ''The hour of truth has arrived''
The Guardian 1/11/2005
Mahmoud Abbas wins but how will events now develop? -- Times, Editorial, January 10 - "After [Sunday''s] election ... there was a palpable feeling that something had changed ... Mahmoud Abbas, the pragmatist favoured by Israel and the outside world ... won a triumphant victory ... to succeed the late ... Yasser Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority ...

Economy..